HEALTH SYSTEM PARTNERSHIPS IN INTERVENTION AND OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES: REFLECTIONS FROM AN EARLY-CAREER SCHOLAR

Abstract The early knowledge base and interventions in the field of elder mistreatment were built by clinician researchers, leading to a natural research-to-practice pipeline. But with more non-clinical researchers steadily entering the field, care must be taken to forge strong research-practitioner partnerships, to three ends: 1) developing clinically informed research and intervention approaches, 2) recruiting clinically relevant samples, and 3) implementing findings into clinical practice. This process can be particularly challenging for early-career non-clinical researchers, who may lack strong partnerships on which to build their research. This presentation extracts lessons for early career scholars by providing overviews of the development of and findings from two studies. The Comprehensive Older Adult Caregiving Supports (COACH) EM prevention program was delivered in partnership with a managed care health system, with referrals received from health system providers. The Better Together study of dementia care groups (i.e., persons living with dementia and their care partners) received referrals from clinicians in mixed managed care/fee-for-service settings, county health facilities, and community partners. Drawing from the principles of community-engaged research, the presentation highlights the relevance of various engagement approaches to elder mistreatment research, including: 1) partnering with senior researchers with existing networks; 2) taking the time to learn the health system’s and clinicians’ operational systems, pressures, and constraints; 3) honoring practitioner expertise in building research projects and developing research questions; 4) prioritizing meaningful reciprocal engagement, through offering topical or research presentations, funding, co-authorship, etc.; and 5) educating health system administrators about the nuances of conducting elder mistreatment research.

ation with.LTC providers also present challenges, including reputational risk from participating in EM studies and demands on administrative and staff time that limit availability for research.We report on a successful model for collaboration with LTC providers, based on the implementation and evaluation of the "Improving Resident Relationships in Long-Term Care" program.This evidence-based program was implemented to prevent and treat resident-to-resident aggression in nursing homes (16 facilities) and assisted living (14 facilities), involving over 2000 residents.Findings revealed a set of replicable elements to obtain LTC provider collaboration on sensitive issues like resident-to-resident aggression: (1) Preparatory efforts to gain commitment of administrative personnel; (2) agreements regarding confidentiality and anonymity; (3) identification of one or more "facility champions," who demonstrate enthusiasm and willingness to advocate for the program; (4) providing payment to participating facilities to cover expenses such as overtime needed to release staff to attend trainings; (5) gaining the support of trusted provider organizations; (6) demonstrating that the program helps meet regulatory requirements; and (7) a procedure to allow for pragmatic modifications to the intervention that allow greater fit with the provider's workflow.Implications for elder mistreatment intervention research are discussed.

PROMOTING ELDER JUSTICE IN THE VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION VIA INTER-AND EXTRADEPARTMENTAL COLLABORATIONS
Lena Makaroun 1 , Kathrine Smith 2 , Lisa Boris 3 , and Jaime Halaszynski 4 , 1. University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine,Division of Geriatric Medicine,Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania,United States,2. VA Fargo Health Care System,Fargo,North Dakota,United States,3. VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System,Ravenna,Ohio,United States,4. VA Butler Health Care System,Butler,Pennsylvania,United States The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the largest integrated health system in the country, provides comprehensive, high-quality care to nearly 19 million Veterans, over half of whom are age ≥60.Older Veterans receiving care in VHA have a high prevalence of most known elder abuse (EA) risk factors, many stemming from their military service.The VHA is a leader in advancing knowledge and care for complex geriatric syndromes, and now leaders in both VHA research and social work are spearheading interdisciplinary collaborations to do the same for EA.In this symposium, we present practical experiences, empirical data and lessons learned from four VHA led collaborations, including: 1) development of the VHA National Social Work Elder Abuse Tiger Team that has worked with VHA researchers to develop and lead a national strategy around EA response; 2) a partnership with the Veterans Benefits Administration to conduct novel research on financial exploitation among Veterans; 3) an education and training collaboration with the National Adult Protective Services Association to demystify the processes and procedures of each organization that has thus far led to 7 presentations to >2,500 attendees; and 4) a relationship with the National Collaboratory to Address Elder Mistreatment to adapt and pilot an EA screening tool for use in VHA emergency departments.Highlighting how the VHA has built bridges both within and outside its organization and the impact this has had on advancing EA research and response will generate ideas for other healthcare systems and those interested in future collaborations with VHA.

HEALTH SYSTEM PARTNERSHIPS IN INTERVENTION AND OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES: REFLECTIONS FROM AN EARLY-CAREER SCHOLAR Zach Gassoumis, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States
The early knowledge base and interventions in the field of elder mistreatment were built by clinician researchers, leading to a natural research-to-practice pipeline.But with more non-clinical researchers steadily entering the field, care must be taken to forge strong research-practitioner partnerships, to three ends: 1) developing clinically informed research and intervention approaches, 2) recruiting clinically relevant samples, and 3) implementing findings into clinical practice.This process can be particularly challenging for early-career non-clinical researchers, who may lack strong partnerships on which to build their research.This presentation extracts lessons for early career scholars by providing overviews of the development of and findings from two studies.The Comprehensive Older Adult Caregiving Supports (COACH) EM prevention program was delivered in partnership with a managed care health system, with referrals received from health system providers.The Better Together study of dementia care groups (i.e., persons living with dementia and their care partners) received referrals from clinicians in mixed managed care/feefor-service settings, county health facilities, and community partners.Drawing from the principles of community-engaged research, the presentation highlights the relevance of various engagement approaches to elder mistreatment research, including: 1) partnering with senior researchers with existing networks; 2) taking the time to learn the health system's and clinicians' operational systems, pressures, and constraints; 3) honoring practitioner expertise in building research projects and developing research questions; 4) prioritizing meaningful reciprocal engagement, through offering topical or research presentations, funding, co-authorship, etc.; and 5) educating health system administrators about the nuances of conducting elder mistreatment research.

THE EMED TOOLKIT: COLLABORATION TO IMPROVE ELDER MISTREATMENT SCREENING AND RESPONSE
Kristin Lees Haggerty 1 , Rebecca Stoeckle 1 , Kim Dash 2 , Gary Epstein-Lubow 2 , Randi Campetti 2 , Ruthann Froberg 1 , and Ellen Tambor 2 , 1. Education Development Center,Inc.,Waltham,Massachusetts,United States,2. Education Development Center,Waltham,Massachusetts,United Sta tes The National Collaboratory to Address Elder Mistreatment (The Collaboratory) is a group of elder mistreatment (EM) researchers, clinicians, and advocates who came together with the goal of improving elder mistreatment identification and response in hospital emergency departments (ED).Since its inception in 2017, the Collaboratory has prioritized working in close collaboration with health care and aging services providers as well as older adult survivors to develop, test, and disseminate the Elder Mistreatment Emergency Department Toolkit (EMED Toolkit).The EMED Toolkit is a set of streamlined tools designed to improve EM screening and response in hospital EDs and foster improved collaboration between the hospital and community-based services.The EMED Toolkit is comprised of four core components 1) an online staff survey to assess EM practice and drive system change 2) the evidence-based EM Screening and Response Tool designed to efficiently screen all older adult patients for potential mistreatment, 3) online training modules to educate ED staff on elder mistreatment identification and response, including use of the screening tool, and 4) a Community Connections Roadmap designed to help EDs identify and establish connections with community-based services that can support safe discharge and provide ongoing support to older adults experiencing and at risk for mistreatment.In this presentation we will summarize results from a feasibility study testing EMED Toolkit implementation at five hospitals in the US, describe the Collaboratory's approach to disseminating the EMED Toolkit more widely through local, regional, and national systems change initiatives, and share lessons learned from our efforts.

ADULTS' UNDERSTANDING OF COGNITIVE DECLINE, DEMENTIA, AND ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE Laura Mehegan, and Chuck Rainville, AARP, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
A 2021 nationally representative survey fielded by AARP of adults aged 40 and older (N=3,022) showed that nearly six in ten (58%) believe that cognitive decline is inevitable, and two-thirds (66%) believe they will experience cognitive decline as they age.Nearly half (48%) think it is likely they will get dementia.As a follow up to this research, in 2022, AARP sponsored focus groups (N=31) and in-depth interviews (N=24) to further explore the perceptions of dementia and cognitive decline among individuals aged 40 and older.The main purpose of this research was to evaluate how Americans understand and communicate about dementia and cognitive decline.The results of this research showed personal experience played a greater role than age when it came to participants' concern and understanding about cognitive decline.Worry about cognitive decline increased for those caring for a friend or family members with dementia or Alzheimer's disease.Participants expressed feelings of inevitability of cognitive decline, but not dementia or Alzheimer's disease.Forgetfulness was mentioned by many participants as part of the aging process, but they were clear that dementia and Alzheimer's disease were not inevitable and were not the same as age-related memory lapses.Normal, age-related changes in memory and cognitive function were not well-understood and neither was the distinction between dementia and Alzheimer's disease.The results from these studies suggest the general population needs information on cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease to better understand each and to raise awareness on the proactive steps needed for brain health